What If Tommy Oliver Was Red Zeo Ranger in Dino Thunder?

If Tommy still had his Zeonizer morpher, then he could've used it to morph and help out his students, Conner, Kira, & Ethan in Power Rangers Dino Thunder. In fact, he could have fought off Zeltrax and Tyrannodrones as they tried to kidnap him in front of Hayley's Cyber Cafe. Even after the kidnapping, Tommy could've summoned his Zeo weapons to battle Mesogog in the evil lair. With the Zeo flying power-kick, most of the lab equipment would surely be blown to pieces and Mesogog would no longer be able to create monsters & make them grow. The villains in this season would become a piece of cake for the Dino rangers to defeat and Tommy wouldn't need to become Black ranger. As epic as it seems, there's probably a good reason why the Zeo morpher wasn't used.

Maybe it served as a basis for the Dino Thunder morphers? Or maybe Tommy lost it in the lab explosion in the 1st episode when he jumped off of the island? Maybe he locked it away in a secret place because he thought his ranger days were over? No one knows the answer. People still wonder "What actually happened to the Red Zeo Ranger powers?" Well, it was last used in the "Forever Red" team-up anniversary in Wild Force and Tommy Oliver seemed to morph and fight as Zeo Red just fine.

Years later, in the Dino Thunder ep. "Fighting Spirit," Tommy laid unconscious in a hospital bed. In his mind, he was forced to fight his 3 past ranger forms (Red Turbo not included as this power was given to T.J.). Keep in mind that these are spirits and they aren't real. The Red Zeo Ranger showed up 1st and said, "Hello Tommy. Remember me? Zeo Ranger 5...Don't tell me you've forgotten already." Tommy replied, "But that's impossible." So...does that mean the Red Zeo powers no longer exist?

If that's the case, then that leaves people to question, "When was it destroyed, and how?" It's probably for the best that this mystery remains unsolved so that everyone can make their own assumptions. Hmmm...I really wonder if Tommy is just afraid that people will remember the embarrassing thing he did as Zeo Ranger 5 back in the day (bottom right picture). He must really be ashamed of himself ever since! It must have been all that hype over creating Dino Thunder morphers, weapons, and zords for his new team of rangers. Imagine how much money he blew off on this craze. If only he was the Bruce Wayne of Power Rangers, then things wouldn't have been so complicated. Why didn't he just ask Wesley Collins, the Red Time Force ranger, for money? The guy is rich and has a mansion!

I think there could've been an episode created in which Tommy tries to morph with his broken Zeonizer, just as Adam Park tried using his broken morpher to become the Black Mastodon Ranger once again in the PR in Space episode, "Always a Chance." The effects of such an act would be disastrous & the event would be a magnificent addition to PR history. That episode would allow writers of the show to make Tommy explain how the Zeo morpher got damaged after "Forever Red." However, if no one likes that story, maybe Tommy can explain how the morpher is too old and is drained of its powers?

All in all, whether the Red Zeo morpher was lost, transformed, or destroyed, the real fate rests in the hands of Tommy Oliver. His past ranger duties are now memories that he has left behind as he officially retires from being a Power Ranger. Unless, of course, the world is in desperate need of his help once again. Who knows? Things change...but for now, he can finally move on to living a simple life as a high school science teacher.